Automatic base-ball game.



G. A. SHEPARD.

- AUTOMATIC BASE BALL GAME.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 1a, 1913.

1,088,184.- Patented Feb. 24,1914.

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G. A. SHEPARD.

AUTOMATIC BASE BALL GAME.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18, 1913.

' Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

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AUTOMATIU BASE BALL GAME.

APPLICATION. FILED mm: 1B, 1913.

1,088,1 8 1:. Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

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TED STATES PATENT orrion.

CHESTER A. SHEPARD, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC BASE-BALL GAME.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHESTER A. SHEPARD, citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Auto.- matic Base-Ball Games, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a toy baseball game, and has for its object to providea game of this character which embodies novel features of construction whereby most of the plays incident to a real game of baseball are A further object of the invention is to.

provide a toy game of baseball which is so constructed as to avoid all possibility of a controversy between the players as to the exact course of the balls or the play which took place, which can be readily manipulated by the players, and which is positive in its operation.

Vith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of the parts as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the novel features thereof being pointed out in the appended. claims.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of a toy baseball game constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2- is an enlarged bottom plan view of a portion of the board showing the batting mechanism, the casing within which the batting mechanism is mounted being broken away. Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical sectional view through the head of the board, showing the batting device and the catchers box. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line H of Fig. 2. Fig.

batting mechanism.

Specification of Letters-Patent. Patented F b 24. 1914 Application filed June 18, 1913.

Serial No. 774.278.

5 isa detail perspective view of the resetting lever for the trip mechanism. Fig. 6 is a similar view of the resetting rod for the Fig. 7' is a side elevation ofthe' pitching trap, the position assumed by the parts when the spring has been compressed. preparatory to ejecting a. ball beingindicated by dotted lines. Fig. 8 is a top planview. of the pitching trap. Fig, is a plan view of'the sheet metal blank fromwhich the casingof the pitching trap is formed. F ig, 10 is a similar view of the sheet metal blank from which the catching box which ispivotally mounted upon the front of the pitchingtrap is formed. Fig. 11 is a similar view. of one of the sheet metal blanks from which the catching boxes provided for the different players upon the bases and; in the field are formed. Fig. 12 is a planviefw of the swinging gate for one of. the catching boxes. Fig. 1.3 is a plan View of the slotted guide plate for the batting mechanism before the guide tongues are-bent downwardly. Fig. 14 is a detail view of the slotted bracket or standard which engages the rear end of the operating rod for the pitching trap. Fig. 15 is a detail perspective view of the hooked link which is connected to thecatching box of the pitching trap so as to swing the catching box upwardly into an inoperative position when the spring plunger of the pitching trap is drawn rearwardly. Fig. 16 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view on the line 1616 of Fig. 1, showing the trigger mechanism which is actuated by a ball passing over the home plate torelease the batting mechanism. Fig. 17 is a sectional view on the line 1717 of Fig. 16. Fig. 18 is an enlarged plan view of one of the catching boxes pro vided' in the out field. Fig. 19 is a front elevation ofone of the said catching boxes of the out field, showing more clearly the swinging gate at the entrance to the box, and Fig. 20 is a rear end view of the batting plunger.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the board which may be of any suitable and convenient size and which is shown as surrounded by an upstanding wall or flange 2for the purpose of retaining the ball upon the board. The usual diamond is laid off upon the board as indicated at 3, the home plate 4 being provided at the head of the diamond. The pitching trap A is mounted in the usual position within the diamond, while the batting mechanism is mounted under. the board immediately in rear ofthe home plate 4:. A catchers box B is mounted upon the board 1 to the rear of the home plate 4. in such a posit-ion as to catch the balls which are not struck by the batter. A series of catching boxes C are also mounted upon the three bases, while similar catching boxes D are provided for the out fielders and short stop. A series of catching boxes or inclosures E are also pro vided in the out field to the rear of the fieldersfor catching any fair ball which success fully evades or gets by all of the players.

The pitching trap (see Figs. 7 and 8) includes a cylindrical-barrel 5 which is mounted within the base of a casingformedby. bending the blank shown by Fig. Qupon the dotted lines. This'ca'sing comprises a bottom 6 upon which the barrel 5 rests, 'upwardly' projecting sides 7, and a rear wall at the end of the-barrel 5', said rear wall be-. ing provided by suitably bending the notches, tongues or ears 8 at the lower portions of the sides 7. The bottom or base 6 has .a.tongue 9. stamped therefrom and deflected down .wardly, the said tongue engaging a pivot bolt 10 which passes through theboard 1. The casing and barrelare adapted to be swung about this bolt 10 as a center for the purposeof directing the ball in the desired manner, either directly over the center of the home plate or over one side of the home plate.

The two sides 7 of the easingv are provided at the front and rear thereof with the corresponding horizontal slots 11 within which the transverse pins 12 are slidably mounted, the extremities of the said pins engaging a yoke 13 which straddles the casing and is slidably mounted upon the exterior thereof. The rear end of this yoke is provided with a. downwardly extending arm 14 which is connected tothe rod 15 of the plunger 16 mounted within the barrel 5. This rod 15 passes-loosely through the opening provided by the corresponding notches of'the before mentioned ears 8, and acoil spring 17 which surrounds the rod 15 is interposed between the plunger 16 and the wall provided by the notched ears or tongues 8.' The main operating rod 18 is connected to the rear end of the yoke'or slide 13 and extends to the board. By grasping the linger piece 19 and pulling rearwardly thereon the plunger 16 may be withdrawn so as to compress the coil spring 17 the shoulder provided by the crimped portion 20 of the operating rod beingthen susceptible of being brought into engagement with an edge portion of the slot 21 so as to hold the pitching trap in a set position until such time as it may be desired to release the trap and eject the ball.

The balls 36 are fed to the barrel 5 of the pitching trap through an opening 200 in the top of the barrel at an intermediate point in the length thereof. A vertical chute or guide member 201 is mounted upon the casing of the pitching trap immediately over the opening 200, the base of the guideway being secured to one of the sides 7 of the trap. A ball 36 may be placed in the guideway 201 so as to rest upon the coil spring 17 until after the plunger 16 has been completely retracted so that the ball can drop into the barrel in front of the piston. A spring finger or detent 202 is secured to one side of the casing the extremity of the finger projecting into the barrel 5 through an opening 203 and being adapted to engage the ball 36 so as to retain the ball in contact with the plunger or piston 16 and prevent the ball from rolling forwardly toward the muzzle or discharge end of the cylinder. This spring detent 202, however is not sufiiciently strong to interfere with the action of the main spring 17. As soon as the trap is released, the energy of the main spring 17 will cause the piston 16 to engage the ball and forcibly eject the same from the barrel.

A catching box F is pivotally mounted upon the forward end of the pitching trap so as to be swung upwardly away from the board when the ball is about to be ejected. The blank from which this catching box F is formed is shown by Fig. 10, the manner of folding the blank being indicated by dotted lines. This box F includes a bottom 23, a back 24, a top 25, and sides 26. These sides 26 extend upwardly above the top 25 where they are provided with the rearwardly extending ears 27, the said ears being pivotally connected to the sides of the casing of the catching box at 28, and being also pivotally connected at 29 to an angularly shaped arm 30 at the forward end of a link 31, the rear end of the said link being hooked at 32 and engaging the rear transverse pin 12 of the yoke 13. With this construction it will be obvious that when the yoke 18 is drawn rearwardly to compress the spring 17 and set the trap, the link 31 will act upon the catching box F to swing the same upwardly above the surface of the board andinto an inoperative position, as indicated by dotted lines upon Fig. 7. However, as soon as the pitching trap has been sprung and the ball ejected therefrom, the

catching box F will be permitted to drop by gravity into operative position upon the surface of the board so that it will be in position for catching the ball before the ball has time to travel across the surface of the board to the batter and back again to the pitcher.

A wedge shaped block 28 is mounted upon the bottom 23 of the catchers box F at the rear thereof, the back 24 of the box having a tongue 29 stamped therefrom which can be bent forwardly over the top portion of the wedge shaped block 28 to retain the said block in position. The upper and outer corners of the sides 26 of the box F are provided with pivot openings 30 adapted to receive laterally projecting pivot studs 31 at opposite ends of an inwardly swinging gate 32. This gate 32 is normally inclined inwardly. as indicated by Fig. 7 and is provided with an upwardly projecting extension 33 connected by a rubber band or similar tension member 34 to a suitable projection 35 at the rear of the box F. The rubber band 34 normally holds the gate 32 in the position shown by Fig. 7, outward swinging movement of the gate being limited by engagement of the upward extension 33 with the forward edge of the top 35 of the box. However, when the ball 36 strikes the gate 32 it will swing the same inwardly against the action of the rubber band 34 until after the ball has passed under the gate and rolled upwardly upon the inclined surface of the wedge shaped block 28. The gate 32 will then securely retain the ball 36 within the box F so that there can be no argument or dispute between the players as to whether or not the ball was actually caught by the pitcher. When it is desired to release the ball 36 from the catching box F it is merely necessary to press forwardly against the upper end of the extension 33 with the fingers so as to swing the gate 32 rearwardly and upwardly above the ball, when the ball will roll down the inclined surface of the wedge shaped block 28 and out of the box of its own accord.

Referring to the batting mechanism the numeral 37 designates a guide plate which is mounted upon the upper surface of the board 1 immediately at the rear of the home plate 4 an opening being provided in the board under the said plate. The sheet metal blank from which this plate is formed is shown by Fig. 13, and it will be observed that the plate is provided with a series of longitudinally disposed guide slots 38, and also with the rearwardly extending tongues 39 which are arranged between the mouths of the slots 38 and upon each side of the outermost slots 38. These tongues 39, as indicated more clearly by Fig. 3, are deflected downwardly so as to extend through the opening in the board 1 and project below the under surface thereof. An upwardly swinging trap door 40 which is normally flush with the upper surface of the board 1 is arranged at the rear of the slotted guide plate 37, the said trap door being pivoted at its rear edge at 41 and being normally held in a closed position by a suitable spring 42.

Projecting downwardly from the lower surface of the board 1 upon each side of the opening under the slotted guide plate 37 are the longitudinally disposed flanges 43 which are provided with the corresponding guide slots 44 within which a transversely disposed rod 45 is slidably mounted. These slots 44 are formed with the upper horizontal porti'ons 44 and also with the lower horizontal portions 44 which are connected by the inclined or cam portions 44, the said inclined portions 44 of the slots 44 being located adjacent the downwardly bent fingers 39 of the slotted guide. plate 37 and having a corresponding inclination.

The batting plunger 46 is connected at its forward end to the transverse guide bolt or pin 45 and is provided at a point substantially over the saidbolt or pin 45 with an upwardly projecting batting arm 47 which may be set to operate within any selected one of the guide slots 38. The batting head 48 is mounted upon the upper end of the batting arm 47 so as to be located immediately under the trap door 40 when the bat ting plunger 46 is withdrawn into a set position and the transverse bolt or pin 45 is located within the lower horizontal portions 44 of the slots 44. When the batting plunger 46 is released and moved forward by mechanism to be described, the transverse bolt or pin 45 travels upwardly through the inclined portions 44 of the slots 44 into the upper horizontal portions 44 of the said slots, thereby moving the batting head 48 forwardly and upwardly and causing it to lift the trap door 40 and slide forwardly over the slotted guide plate 37. By setting the batting arm 47 between the proper guide fingers 39 of the plate 37 the said batting arm may be directed into any selected one of the guide slots 38 according to the manner in which the player may anticipate that the ball will be thrown by the pitcher. If the batter has shown good judgment and properly anticipated the throw of the pitcher, the bat will strike the ball, although otherwise the bat will miss the ball and a strike will be counted up against the batter. In this connection it may be noted that the rear of the batting arm 47 is provided with a V-shaped extension 49 the pointed extremity of which will engage the free edge of the trap door 40 so as to lift the trap door when the bat is again withdrawn into a set position and lowered under the surface of the board. The free end of the batting plunger 46 is extended downwardly as indicated at 50 to provide a finger piece which may be grasped when adjusting the plunger 46 laterally upon the transverse bolt 45 to set the batting arm'4t7 for movement within a selected one of the guide slots 38. This batting arm 47 is normally received between the fingers 89 of the slotted guide plate 37, although by grasping the finger piece 50 and pulling the same forwardly so as to first disengagethe ar1n-17 from the fingers 39, the saidarm may be set between any selected pair of the fingers so as to move within the corresponding guide slot 38 when the batting plunger is released. The opposite end of the batting plunger 46 is pivotally connected at 51 to one of the arms of a main operating lever 52 which has a bell crank formation andis pivotally mounted at 53 upon a bracket154, the opposite arm of the said bell crank lever being connected to a tension spring 55. The arm of the bell crank lever to which the-batting plunger 46 is connected operates within a keeper 56 and is adapted to be engaged by a detent 57 when the batting plunger has been pulled forwardly into a set position and the main spring 55 placed under tension. This detent 57 is shown as pivotally mounted upon a lug 58 projecting from the keeper 56, the rear end of the detent being. extended beyond the pivot point thereof and engaged by a-spring 59 which normally tends to throw the de tent into operative position. The free end of the detent is engaged by a bell crank releasing lever 60 which is also shown as pivotally mounted upon a lug 61 projecting from the keeper 56. One arm ofthis bell crank lever 60 engages the extremity of the detent 57 while the opposite arm thereof is connected by a suitable link 62 to asecond bell crank lever 63 which is pivotally mounted upon a bracket 64- pendent from the bottom of the board 1. This second bell crank lever 63 is connected to a vertically disposed spring actuated releasing plunger 65 which passes upwardly through an opening 66 in the board 1 and projects above the upper surface of the board. A spring strip 67 engages an opening 68 in the lower end of the releasing plunger 65 and normally tends to slide the said plunger upwardly so as to operate through the bell crank levers 63 and 60 which are connected by the link 62 to swing the detent 57 into inoperative posirear end of the batting plunger 16 to absorb the shocks and jars and relieve the various parts of the batting mechanism from the resulting strain which might otherwise be imposed thereon.

The numeral 70 designates the trigger bar which is horizontally mounted above the board 1 in front of the home plate 4, the opposite ends of the trigger bar being provided with offset pivot portions 71 which are mounted upon the standards 72. The middle portion of the trigger bar 70 is provided with a pendent crank portion 7 0 which projects downwardly so as to be engaged by a ball rolling over the surface of the board. This crank portion 7 O is arranged immediately in front of the home plate 4 and is of such a size that a ball projected from the pitching trap in such a manner as to pass over the home plate and constitute a strike would engage the crank or offset portion, although a ball which would not pass over the home plate and which would be counted as a ball and not as a strike, would not engage the crank or offset portion 7 0. It will thus be obvious that when the pitcher throws a ball which will pass over the home plate 4:, the said ball will engage the crank or ofi'set portion 70 of the trigger bar 70 and rotate the same.

The upper end of the releasing plunger 65 slidably engages one of the standards 72 and is shown as provided with guide cars 73 which are bent around the edges of the standard to retain the plunger in proper sliding engagement therewith. The upper extremity of the releasing plunger 65 is provided with a lip 7 1 which has an opposed relation to a corresponding lip at the upper extremity of the standard 72. WVhen the offset or crank portion 70 of the trig er bar 70 hangs in a vertical position, the lip 74 is moved downwardly away from the lip 75 of the standard 72 owing to the offset arrangement of the pivot 71 of the trigger bar 70, and the releasing plunger 65 thereby forced downwardly against the action of the spring 67. The offset pivot 71 is then located directly above the trigger bar 70 so as to produce what may be termed a dead center and retain the releasing plunger 65 in a depressed position against the action of the spring 67. In other words, the crank portion of the offset pivot 71 is vertically disposed and is thereby in alinement with the direction of movement of the releasing plunger 65 so as to produce a dead center between the said crank portion of the pivot and the releasing plunger. The extremity of the trigger bar 70 may be extended after being bent to form the offset portion 71, the said extended portion being indicated at 76 and being returned so as to engageone side of the standard 72 and provide a stop for limiting the rotary movement of the trigger bar 70 after the offset or crank portion 70 of the trigger bar has dropped into operative position.

A resetting rod 77 (see Fig. 2) is provided for the batting mechanism, the said resetting rod being slidably mounted within a suitable guide 78 and having the outer end thereof provided with a finger piece 79 while the inner end is hooked at 80 for engagement with the long arm of the bell crank operating lever 52. The portion of the resetting rod 7 7 adjacent the hooked end 80 thereof is crimped or doubled upon itself as indicated at 81 (see Fig. 6) so as to engage the edges of an. opening 82 in a trigger reset ting lever 83, (see Figs. 2 and 5) when the resetting rod is withdrawn. This trigger resetting lever 83 is pivotally'mounted at an intermediate point in its length, as indicated at 84 upon a suitable bracket 85, one end of the said trigger resetting lever being connected by a link 86 (see Figs. 2 and 4) to the before mentioned bell crank/lever 63, while the opposite end of the said lever is provided with the opening 82-through which.

the resetting rod 77 slides. It will thus be obvious that when an outward pull is exerted upon the resetting rod 77, the main bell crank lever 52 will be swung about its pivot 53 so as to place the spring 53 under tension and move the batting plunger 46 rearwardly intoa set position. The shoulder upon the resetting rod 77 provided by the doubled portion 81 thereof will at the same time engage the edges of the opening 82 so as to swing the trigger resetting lever 83 about its pivot and thereby operate through the link 86 to swing the bell crank 63 about its pivot and draw the releasing plunger 65 downwardly against the action of the s aring 67. This will permit the trigger bar 0 to swing into operative position so as to again produce a dead center between the upper end of the said releasing plunger 65 and the crank port-ion of the offset pivot'71 of the trigger bar. The detent 57 will simultaneously be caused to drop into engagement with the main lever 52 so as to retain the same against the action of the spring 55. The player at the bat may now adjust the batting mechanism, as previously described, so that the batting arm 47 will be directed into any selected one of the guide slots 38 upon the release of the batting mechanism.

The batting mechanism being located entirely under the surface of the board the pitcher is unable to see what if any change has been made in the adjustment of the batting plunger, and must accordingly throw the ball in ignorance of the exact path to be traversed by the bat when released. As previously described, should the pitcher throw the ball wildly so that it does not pass over the home plate 4 and would be what is ordinarily termed a ball, the ball will not strike against thetrigger bar and the batting mechanism will not be released. 0n. the other hand, should the pitcher throw the ball over the home plate 4 the ball will strike against the ofi'set or crank portion 70 of the trigger bar 70 and swing the trigger bar about its pivot so as to break the dead center between the releasing plunger 65 and the crank portion of the offset pivot 71. As soon as this dead center is broken the action of the spring strip 67 will force the releasing plunger 65 upwardly and thereby operate through the bell crank lever 63, link 62, and bell cranklever 60 to swing the detent 57 into an inoperative position and release the main lever 52. The batting plunger 46 will then be pulled rearwardly and the batting member or head 48 caused to travel upwardly above the surface of the board so as tostrike the ball provided the pitcher has thrown the ball in such a manner as to be struck by the bat. However, should the pitcher have shown good judgment and thrown the ball on the opposite side of the home plate to that traversed by the bat, the bat will not strike the ball and a strike will be counted up against the batter.

As previously mentioned, each of the three bases at the corners of the diamond 3 are-provided with a catching box or trap C. These catching boxes C are similar in construction to the catching box of the pitching trap which has been previously described. Each of these catching boxes C may be formed from a sheet metal blank such as is shown by Fig. 11, the various portions of the blank being adapted to be folded upon the dotted lines. The numeral 89 designates the bottom of the catching box C, 90 the back thereof, and 91 the top. The two sides of the box are designated at 92, the said sides 92 and top 91 being provided with the ears 93 which are adapted to be bent around the edges of adjacent members to retain the parts in proper position. The bot-tom 89 terminates short of the front of the box, and a tongue 94 is provided at the forward edge of the bottom which is adapted to be bent downwardly and pass through a slit in the board 1 to retain the box in proper position upon the board. The tongues 94 of the catching boxes or traps C and D pass downwardly through suitable slits 94 formed in the board 1. These tongues 94 engage the said slits to retain thecatching boxes or traps in proper position, although they are susceptible of a longitudinal movement within the slits to admit of the catching boxes or traps being slightly adjusted upon the board. The three basemen and also the three fielders and short stop can thus be moved sidewise for a limited distance so that they can be moved to one side of their proper places and thus cover ground in a similar manner to that in which ground is covered by the actual players in a ball game. A. wedge shaped block 95 similar to the wedge shaped block of the catchers box B (see Fig. 5) is adapted to be mounted upon the bottom 1 of the box C, and a tongue 96 is stamped from the back 90 of the box for mentioned extension 33 of the gate 32 provided'for the catching box of the pitching trap A. These catching boxes C which are arranged upon the three bases also operate in identically the same manner as the said catching box of the pitching trap, the gates 97 swinging inwardly to permit of the ball entering the box and'rolling up on the inclined surface of the wedge shaped block and then retaining the ball within the box until after the ball has been manually released therefrom.

' The catchers box B which is arranged at the rear of the home plate 4 in the usual position occupied by the catcher is'identical in construction with the catching boxes C on the bases with the exception that it is I considerably longer so as to presenta wider mouth or entrance for the ball. The catching boxes D for the fielders and short stop are also identical in construction with the catching boxes C upon the bases, with the single exception that the top of each of the catching boxes C has a pair of tongues 101 stamped therefrom, while the tops of the catching boxes D' merely have one of the saidv tongues stamped therefrom. These tongues 101 are adapted to be bent upwardly to support suitable players, and it will be obvious that there may be two players upon each of the bases at one time, although there would be only oneplay'er in the positions occupied by the fielders and'short stop.

The trap boxes or inclosures E which are arrangedin a continuous series around the out field have the specific construction thereof shown more clearly by-Figs. 18 and 19. The rear and side walls 102 of the said trap boxes or inclosures maybe constructed in any suitable manner, the mouth or entrance .of each of the said trap boxes being pro videdwith a swinging gate 103. The opposite ends of this gate 103 are provided with the pivot studs 104 which are loosely received within corresponding pivot openings provided in'the side walls of the trap boxes, the lower edge of the swinging gate being disposed .above the surface of the board 1 at a slightly lower elevation than the top of the ball, while the upper edge of the swinging gate is provided toward one end thereof with an extension 105 which is connected by a suitable contractile member such as the rubber band 106 to a projectile 107 upon the corresponding side wall. A stop 108 limits the outward swinging movement of the gate 108, although it will be obvious that when a ball strikes against the gate the gate will swing inwardly to admit of the ball entering the trap box, although the gate will be prevented by the stop 108 from swinging outwardly to admit of the ball leaving the trap box. VVithi'n each of the trap boxes or inclosures E suitable characters are placed upon the surface of the board 1 for indicating the value of the hit on the part of the batter which caused the ball to enter the trap box, these indicating characters being designated by the numeral 109. Should the ball enter a trap box E bearing the indicating character 1, the bat ter would be considered to have made a one base hit. In a similar manner a ball entering a trap box E bearing the character 2 indicates that the batter has made a two base hit, while a ball entering a box bearing the character 3 indicates that the batter has made a three base hit, the trap boxes bearing the character HR counting as home runs should the ball enter one of the same.

In playing the game, there is a contest of judgment and skill between the batter and the pitcher, since the batter must either take a base on balls, be put out by strikes, or make a fair hit of the ball in the usual manner. When the ball is struck by the batter, it may either be caught by one of the various catching boxes representing the opposing players, or if it escapes these catching boxes it will enter one of the trap boxes E in the out field. here the ball is caught by one of the catching boxes representing an opposing player the batter is considered as out, while should the ball enter one of the trap boxes E, the hit will be counted according to the nature of the characters 109 within the particular trap box which may have been entered.

Any suitable score board may be provided for keeping the score of the players, and if desired the board 1 may be formed in hinged sections so as to be folded or collapsed when it is not in use or when it is desired to transport it from place to place.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim asnew and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A bat for toy baseball games including a batting member normally positioned below the surface of the board and mounted to rise and travel over the surface of the board.

2. A toy baseball game including a board, a pitching trap, a bat, and a guide plate having a plurality of slides therein for engaging the bat to cause the same to travel in different paths.

8. A toy baseball game including aboard, a pitching trap, a bat normally positioned below the surface of the board, and guide means for causing the bat to rise and travel over the surface of the board.

a. A toy baseball game including a board having an opening therein, a pitching trap, a trap door normally closing the opening, a bat normally located under the trap door, and guide means for causing the bat to rise through the opening and travel over the surface of the board when released.

5. A toy baseball game including a board having an opening therein, a pitching trap, a trap door over the opening, a bat normally located under the trap door, a guide plate flush with the surface of the board and pro-.

vided with a series of guide slots, tongues projecting from the guide plate and engaging the bat to direct the same into any selected one of the guide slots, and guide means for causing the bat to rise through the opening and travel over the surface of the board.

6. A toy baseball game including a board iaving an opening therein, a pitching trap, guide flanges pendent from the board on opposite sides of the opening and provided with guide slots, a transverse bolt slidable within the slots, a batting member carried by the transverse bolt, and means for actuating the batting member, the movement of the transverse bolt in the guide slots of the flanges causing the bat to rise above the surface of the board when the bat is actuated.

7. A toy baseball game including a board having an opening tierein, a pitching trap, an upwardly swinging trap door normally closing the opening, a batting member normally positioned under the trap door, means for actuating the batting member, guide means for causing the batting member to rise through the opening and lift the trap door when the bat is actuated, and an extension upon the batting member for engagement with the edge of the trap door to lift the same when the bat is withdrawn after having been released.

8. A toy baseball game including a board having an. opening therein, an upwardly swinging trap door normally closing the opening, a pitching trap, a slotted guide plate flush with the surface of the board, a bat normally positioned under the trap door, means for actuating the bat, guide means for causing the bat to rise through the opening and travel over the surface of the guide plate when the bat is actuated, the slot of the guide plate serving to engage the bat to direct the movements thereof, and an extension u Jon the bat for engagement with the edge of the trap door to lift the trap inoperative position.

9. A toy baseball gameincluding a board having an opening therein, guide flanges pendent from the board on opposite sides of the opening and formed with guide slots, a transverse bolt slidable within the guide slots, a guide plate flush with the surface of the board and provided with a plurality of guide slots, a bat carried by the transverse bolt and slidable thereon so as to engage any selected oneof the guide slots in the slotted guide plate when 'the bat is re leased, and means for actuating the bat,.the movement of the transverse bolt within the slotted portions of the guide flanges causing the bat to rise through the opening and travel over the surface of the guide plate when released.

10. A toy baseball game including a board having an opening therein, a pitching trap upon the board, an upwardly swinging trap door normally closing the opening, a guide plate flush with the surface of the board and provided with a plurality of guide slots, tongues projecting from the guideplate for directing the bat into selected ones of the slots, the said tongues being deflected downwardly under the trap door, guide flanges pendent from the board on opposite sides of the opening and provided with cam slots, a transverse bolt slidable within the cam slots, a bat carried by the transverse bolt and normally positioned under the trap door, the said bat being adapted to be arranged be tween any selected pair of the before mentioned tongues so as to be carried into any selected one of the guide slots of the plate when released, and means for actuating the bat, the movement of the transverse bolt within the cam slots of the guide flanges causing the bat to lift the trap door and travel over the surface of the guide plate when released.

11. A toy baseball game including a board having an opening therein, a pitching trap, guide flanges pendent from the board on opposite sides of the opening and provided with longitudinal guide slots formed with inclined portions, a transverse bolt slidable within the guide slots, a longitudinally reciprocating batting plunger carried by the transverse bolt, means for actuating the batting plunger, and a batting arm projecting upwardly from the batting plunger, said batting arm terminating in a batting head which is normally positioned within the opening of the board and below the surface thereof, the movement of the transverse bolt within the inclined portions of the guide slots serving to lift the batting head and cause the same to travel over the surface of the board.

12. A toy baseball game including a board having an opening therein, a pitching-trap,

a longitudinally movable batting plunger 1 mounted under the surface of the board, a

leased,'means for actuating the batting plunger, a detent for holding the batting plungerin a set position, and trip means adaptedto be: actuated by a ball traveling over the surface of the board for releasing the detent;

1 3. A to-y baseball game including a board having an opening therein, a pitching trap,

a batting plunger, a batting head carried by the batting plunger and normally disposed below the surface of the board, guide means cooperating with the batting plunger for lifting the batting head above the surface of the board when the batting plunger is released, anoperating lever connected to the batting plunger,- tension means engaging the operating lever, a detent engaging the op erating lever to hold the batting plunger in a set position, and means for releasing the detent. I

14. A toy baseball game including a board 7 having an opening therein, a pitching trap,

a longitudinally movable batting plunger located below the board, a batting head carried by the batting plunger, guide means co operating with the batting plunger for lifting the batting head above the surface of the board when the batting plunger is released, an operating lever connected to the batting plunger, tension means engaging the operating lever to hold the batting plunger in a set position, means for releasing the detent, and means for resetting the batting plunger.

1'5. A toy baseball game includinga board, a batting mechanism, a detent for holding the batting mechanism in a set position, and a trigger bar arranged above the surface of the board and having an operative connection with the detent, said trigger bar having an offset portion adapted to be engaged by the top of a ball traveling over the surface of the board.

16. A toy baseball game including a board,

a pitching trap, a batting mechanism, a detent for retaining the batting mechanism in a set posltion, a trigger bar mounted over the surface of the board and provided with a pendent portion adapted to be engaged by a ball traveling over the surface of the board, and means actuated by the trigger bar for releasing the detent.

17; A toy baseball gameincluding a board having the usual home plate marked thereon,batting mechanism, a trigger bar extending across the home plate, said trigger bar being supported above the surface of they boardand provided over the home plate with a pendent portion adapted to be engaged by a ball traveling across the home plate, and means whereby the batting mechanism i controlled by the trigger bar.

18. A toy baseball game including a board having the usual diamond and home plate marked thereon, a pitching trap, a batting member at the rear of the home plate, selective guide means for causing the bat to travel in different paths, means for actuating the hat, a detent for holding the bat in a set position, and means actuated by a ball projected from the pitching trap so as to pass over the home plate for releasing the detent.

19. A toy baseball game including a board, a pitching trap, a batting mechanism, a detent for retaining the batting mechanism in a set position, a pair of standards projecting from the board, a trigger bar journaled between the standards above the board and provided with a pendent crank portion adapted to be engaged by a ball rolling over the surface of the board to rotate the trigger bar, said trigger bar having a crank portion at one end thereof, a spring actuated releasing plunger engaging the end crank portion of the trigger bar and normally producing a dead center therewith, and means actuated by the movement of the releasing plunger when the dead center is broken to release the detent.

20. A toy baseball game including a board, a pitching trap, a reciprocating batting plunger, a batting arm carried by the batting plunger, a main operating lever engaging the batting plunger, tension means connected to the operating lever, a detent engaging the operating lever to hold the batting plunger in a set position, a pair of standards projecting from the surface of the board, a trigger bar journaled between the standards and provided with a pendent crank portion adapted to be engaged by a ball rolling over the surface of the board, a spring actuated releasing plunger normally held in an inoperative position by the trigger bar, and an operative connection between the releasing plunger and the detent of the batting mechanism.

21. A toy baseball game including a board, a pitching trap, a longitudinally reciprocating batting plunger, a batting head carried by the batting plunger, a main operating lever connected to the batting plunger, tension means connected to the operating lever, a detent adapted to engage the operating lever to hold the batting plunger in a set position, standards projecting from the surface of the board, a trigger bar j ournaled between the standards and provided with a pendent crank portion adapted to be engaged by a ball rolling over the surface of the heard, one end of the trigger bar being-also provided with a crank portion, a

spring actuated releasing plunger engaging the said end crank portion of the trigger bar so as to normally produce a dead center in connection therewith, and an operative connection between the releasing plunger and the detent of the main operating lever.

22. A toy baseball game including a board, a pitching trap, a reciprocating batting plunger located below the surface of the board, a batting head carried by the batting plunger, a main operating lever en gaging the batting plunger, tension means connected to the operating lever, a detent engaging the operating lever to retain the batting plunger in a set position, standards projecting from the board, a trigger bar journaled between the standards and provided with a pendent crank portion adapted to be engaged by a ball rolling over the surface of the board, the said trigger bar being also provided with an end crank portion, a spring actuated releasing plunger passing downwardly through the board and normally engaging the end crank portion of the trigger bar so as to produce a dead center therewith, a trip lever for releasing the before mentioned detent, and an operative connection between the said trip lever and the releasing plunger.

23. A toy baseball game including a board, a pitching trap, a longitudinally reciprocating batting plunger mounted under the board, a batting head carried by the batting plunger, an operating lever engaging the batting plunger, tension means connected to the operating lever, a detent engaging the operating lever to hold the batting plunger in a set position, standards projecting from the board, a trigger bar journaled between the standards and provided with a pendent crank portion adapted to be engaged by a ball rolling over the surface of the board, a spring actuated plunger passing through the board and normally held in a depressed position by the trigger bar, a bell crank arranged under the board and connected to the lower end of the releasing plunger, a releasing lever engaging the detent, a link connecting the releasing lever to the bell crank, a resetting rod connected to the main lever, a trigger resetting lever adapted to be engaged by the resetting rod, and an operative connection between the trigger releasing lever and the bell crank.

24. A toy baseball game including a board, a pitching trap, a batting mechanism, a detent for holding the batting mechanism in a set position, a releasing lever for the detent, a trigger mounted over the surface of the board and provided with a portion adapted to be engaged by a ball projected from the pitching trap, a spring actuated releasing plunger normally held in a set posi tion by the trigger bar, a bell crank connected to the releasing plunger, a link between the bell crank and the releasing lever of the detent, a resetting rod for the batting mechanism, said resetting rod being provided with a shoulder, a trigger resetting lever pivoted at an intermediate point in its length and provided at one end with an opening through which the resetting slot slides, the edges of the opening being adapted to be engaged by the shoulder of the rod, and a link connecting the opposite end of the lever to the bell crank.

25. A toy baseball game including a board, batting mechanism upon the board, a pitching trap for projecting a ball to the batting mechanism, and a catching box carried by the pitching trap.

26. A toy baseball game including a board, batting mechanism upon the board, a pitching trap for projecting a ball to the batting mechanism, a catching box pivotally mounted upon the pitching trap so as to be swung upwardly above the surface of the board when a ball is projected from the pitching trap.

27. A toy baseball game including a board, batting mechanism mounted upon the board, a pitching trap for throwing a ball to the batting mechanism, a catching box pivotally mounted upon the front of the pitching trap, and means for automatically swinging the catching box into an inoperative position when setting the pitching trap.

28. A toy baseball game including a board, batting mechanism upon the board, a pitching trap for throwing a ball to the batting mechanism, a catching box pivotally mounted upon the pitching trap so as to fall by gravity upon the board when released, and means for swinging the catching box upwardly into an inoperative position when setting the pitching trap.

29. A toy baseball game including a board, batting mechanism mounted upon the board, a pitching trap mounted upon the board for throwing a ball to the batting mechanism, a swinging catching box mounted upon the front of the pitching trap so as to normally drop into an operative position upon the board when released, means for setting the pitching trap, and means for automatically swinging the catching box upwardly into an inoperative position when setting the pitching trap.

30. A toy baseball game including a board, batting mechanism mounted upon the board, a pitching trap including a plunger, a slide connected to the plunger, a catching box pivotally mounted upon the front of the pitching trapso as to drop by gravity into an operative position, and an operative connection between the catching box and the slide for swinging the catching box upwardly into an inoperative position when the plunger is withdrawn.

31. A toy baseball game including a board, batting mechanism upon the board, a pitching trap. frame formed with slotted sides, a barrel within the said frame, a plunger mounted within the barrel, a yoke slidably mounted upon the-frame and having an operative connection with the plunger, a pin connecting the yoke and operating within the slotted portions of the frame, a catching box pivotally mounted upon the front of the pitching trap so as to drop by gravity into an operative position, and a link connected to the pitching box and engaging the before mentioned transverse pin so as to swing the catching box upwardly when the plunger is withdrawn.

32. A toy baseball game including a board, batting mechanism mounted upon the board, a pitching trap for throwing a ball to the batting mech'anism, and a catching box carried by the pitching trap, said catching box being provided at the entrance thereof with an inwardly swinging gate which permits the ball to enter the box and then retains the ball within the box.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature Vitnesses:

N. N. MOGEHEE, CLAUDE JOHNSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Baton, Washington, D. G." 

